


you're my crystal and clover

by ginnydear



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by The Office, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon, essentially Harry and Ginny are Jim and Pam, the working title was: office au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 17:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11513739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnydear/pseuds/ginnydear
Summary: “Well, get ready,” he said as he patted her hand in finality, the ring box shoved deep in his desk at work burning a hole in his mind. She scoffed as she settled next to him.“Whatever you say, Potter,” she mumbled, and he squeezed her.“I’m serious, Weasley. Get ready, because when I propose, it’s going to blow your mind,” he said, looking at her in time to catch her smiling down at her lap, her cheeks reddening as she flipped the page of her book.





	you're my crystal and clover

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't watched The Office, don't fret you don't need to have watched to understand what's happening. I just essentially took how Jim proposed to Pam, tweaked it a bit, and applied it to Harry and Ginny. Someday, I might write an Office AU, but today, it's just inspired by my favorite show. 
> 
> Alternative Title: The Two Times Harry Didn't Propose and the One Time He did
> 
> _crossin' my heart, open wide, you're my crystal and clover_  
>  _all of me, honestly, is dedicated to hold you_  
>  -i belong in your arms by chairlift

“Someday, I’d like a nice house.”

Harry shifted to look down at where Ginny sat tucked into his side, a book resting on top of the blanket that covered both of their laps. Her eyes were moving around the living room of their flat, from the wireless near the fireplace, and the television set Harry had bought on impulse when they’d moved in.

“A big house?” he asked as he pushed his glasses up on his nose, having fallen down during reading. She nodded as she looked up at him.

“It doesn’t have to be _big_ , necessarily, as long as it has space for some quidditch in the backyard and a few trees,” she replied, shifting to push herself up slightly. He moved his arm off her shoulders to let her move before settling it back around her.

“Only a few trees?”

“Yes, I want exactly two trees. On the entire property,” she deadpanned, her eyes glazing overly slightly as she spoke. Harry laughed at her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“When we get married, we can definitely get a house with exactly two trees,” Harry said as he turned back to the papers in his lap, missing the look that crossed Ginny’s face as she processed his statement.

“ _When?_ ”

“What?” Harry asked, looking back down at her in confusion. She gazed back at him steadily, her eyes lit up in joy.

“You said when,” she said, her voice softer than before, and he traced back their conversation. His ears burned red, and he shifted as the plans for their future he’d thought about hundreds of times filled his head.

“Oh, didn’t you know?” he asked, pushing past the slight embarrassment on his cheeks, and she bit her lip.

“Harry,” she warned, and he shook his head.

“Bugger, I hadn’t proposed to you yet?” he said comically, and she dramatically looked down at her left hand, feigning confusion as she held it up for him to see. She waved it in front of his glasses, and he fought back a laugh.

“I think it’s time for that eye exam. I told you you’ve been more oblivious than usual,” she said as he lowered her hand back into her lap, his glasses pushed up from the wide smile on his face.

“Well, get ready,” he said as he patted her hand in finality, the ring box shoved deep in his desk at work burning a hole in his mind. She scoffed as she settled next to him.

“Whatever you say, Potter,” she mumbled, and he squeezed her.

“I’m serious, Weasley. Get ready, because when I propose, it’s going to blow your mind,” he said, looking at her in time to catch her smiling down at her lap, her cheeks reddening as she flipped the page of her book.

**(…)**

The ministry halls were quiet as Ginny sat against them, waiting for Harry to finish paperwork. The only people left were the second shifters, and the unlucky interns still trying to figure things out. She knew that down the hallway somewhere, her brother was getting ready for the second worst shift a new Auror could have.

“Are you done yet?” she called, and Harry laughed as he held up the paper he’d been looking at. He looked at her critically for a moment, and then the paper.

“Read that for me, makes sure it makes sense please?” he asked, and she took the paper from him gently, reading the sentence as he tapped his fingers. She read it three times before nodding and handing it back to him.

“It’s fine, now let’s go before they decide to keep you,” she groaned, and he smiled as he shook his head.

“Okay already, just let me lock up,” he pushed off his desk, tapping drawers with his wand to make sure they were locked. She stepped out into the hallway, out of the office he shared with another Auror, and looked around. She’d been in that hallway plenty of times, and she was not unfamiliar with the décor, however in the dim light of after hours, she looked at the painting across from his door with curiosity.

“Has that painting always looked so…. creepy?” she asked over her shoulder as he shut the door and came up behind her. He wrapped an arm around her and she relaxed against his chest with a happy sigh.

“Only a night,” he kissed the side of her head, “now, where to, milady?”

He turned them with ease down the hall and began walking, leading her as she thought about his question.

“Are we going out?” she asked, and he hummed, a small smile on his face.

“We can, your choice,” he replied, and she put her hand to her chin and looked up dramatically.

“I don’t know, I kind of hate all of our usual places,” she said, turning to hear his response. She slowed to a stop as she realized he wasn’t next to her anymore, and her eyebrows came together as she looked down at where he was, on one knee.

“Gin, would you,” he started, and she held her breath, “wait for me, while I tie my shoe?”

Ginny blinked, a smile threatening to break out across her face, as Harry bent down to tie his shoe.

“I hate you,” she said, and he looked up from his shoe, mock confusion on his face.

“Oh, you didn’t think – Ginny, did you think I was _proposing_?” he asked, laughter in his voice as he stood and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She laughed along, her cheeks suddenly warm.

“Oh, no, how could I?” she retorted, leaning into his side as he kissed the side of her head.

**(…)**

“Well, that was a day,” Lee said as he walked from the front doors of the now closed shop, waving his wand to shut off lights as he went. He made his way over to where the rest of the staff was standing around the main counter, preparing to clean up after a long day.

“It’s always a day,” George said as he appeared from the back, holding a stack of towels ready to begin cleaning. With a wave of his wand, they dispersed out into the store. Ron walked down the stairs to stand next to Ginny and Harry, both beginning the process of counting the days tills.

“The new products are selling almost as fast as we can produce them,” Ron said, looking through sheets of inventory, doing the math for tomorrow’s pull sheets.

“Can we discuss the new items for a moment here, lads? I feel like we need to move some of them around on the displays,” George said, moving with Lee and Ron over towards the doors and the newest items.

“What’s wrong with how they’re displayed?” Ron said, tucking his quill behind his ear as Lee and George moved items around on their displays.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with them now?” Ginny called as she set about organizing the money. Harry leaned against the counter next to her, watching with curiosity as the George stared at the entryway.

“They need to be energized. Can we find a new way to highlight them? Everything else has a fun area, and all of our new items look… boring,” Lee said, to which George hummed in agreement.

“Our love potions always attract the eye first, this opening area needs to be livened up,” George said, waving his arms in the air. Ron walked over to where they stood, and as the three of them stared at the entryway, Harry turned to Ginny.

“You know what would liven me up?” he said softly, and she looked up at him, hair beginning to fall out of her bun after a long day.

“If you, Ginevra Molly Weasley-“

“Harry, if you dare propose to me in the middle of a Wheezes meeting-“

“Well I am, proposing, that you go grab me some tea.”

The coins floating above the counter dropped suddenly, and Harry laughed loudly as Ginny glared at him for only a moment before reacting.

“I hate you,” she said, reaching out to smack his arm. He continued to laugh even as Lee, George, and Ron looked over at them, curiosity on their faces.

“What did Harrykins do now?”

“He best be behaving.”

“Harry’s sleeping on the sofa tonight,” Ginny said with a smug smile, and Harry laughed harder. Ron stared at them, his mouth in a confused line, while Lee and George spared each other a glance before going back to the displays.

“I am not,” Harry said softly, reaching for Ginny. She went into his arms, pretending to be completely disinterested. He pressed a couple kisses to her forehead, and then her cheeks, and finally all over her face until she was giggling softly and George made a gagging noise.

“If you’re going to eat our baby sisters face-“

“Could you do it outside?” Ron finished, though he looked highly amused. Harry shrugged.

“Sure, let’s go Ginny!” he said, taking her hand and ignoring the other three as they disapparated.

**(…)**

For the seventh time that day, Ron looked over at Harry as he sighed heavily.

“Will you stop that, mate?” he asked, and Harry looked over at him from his desk.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, his eyes going back to the picture on his desk, the one of him and Ginny standing in the garden sometime the previous summer.

“What’s on your mind that’s got you sighing so much?” Ron asked, setting his paperwork down to turn his chair to look at Harry. Setting his paperwork down as well, Harry clasped his hands together.

“You know how… I have the ring and everything to propose to Ginny?” he asked slowly, keeping his eyes on his shoes. Ron nodded slowly, remembering the day Harry had brought the ring into work to hide in his desk, face flushed red as he stumbled over his words at explaining. As if Ron and the entire Weasley family wasn’t waiting for the moment.

“Yes,” Ron replied, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees, watching Harry intently.

“Well, with her at training now, we talked about it, and we decided to wait until the training camp is over at least, until… we get engaged or I propose I guess…” Harry trailed off, looking at Ron as if to confirm he understood. On cue, Ron nodded.

“Understandable,” Ron said, clasping his hands together. Harry moved in his chair, arm reaching out for his bottom desk drawer. He reached in and pulled out the ring box, clasping it tightly in his hands.

“What’s wrong then?” Ron asked, sensing that Harry hadn’t yet said his peace.

“Imagine being away from Hermione for three whole months, and all you get are letters,” Harry said, and Ron hummed softly, remembering the talk he and Hermione had about making sure Harry didn’t become too depressed while Ginny was away.

“It’s tough,” Ron agreed, and Harry rolled his eyes.

“It’s lonely,” Harry mumbled, and Ron reached over and touched his shoulder.

“You have, what, five weeks left? It’s not that long,” Ron said, but Harry shook his head, placing the ring box on his desk next to his papers.

“Yeah…” he trailed off, eyes going back to his paperwork. Ron frowned as Harry turned back to his desk, but decided to ignore it and go back to his paperwork as well.

**(…)**

It was raining, per usual, when Harry appeared outside the apparition point in Wolverhampton, his hood pulled down low over his face. It wasn’t busy out, not in the middle of the day, but he still didn’t want anyone to recognize him. He had a few minutes until the time he’d specified, so he moved out onto the main street and walked towards his destination.

He arrived a few moments later, the small park set in the middle of the wizarding village hidden away in Wolverhampton. He moved until he was under a tree, pulling his wand out of his pocket to create a buffer against the rain. As he was shaking out his hood, he saw a small figure crossing the street and walking into the park.

“Hey!” Ginny called as the rain came down a bit harder, and she ran over to where he stood, wand held above his head to act as an umbrella.

“Hey,” he said, sighing in relief, though she looked less amused.

“I could get in so much trouble for sneaking out, I had to bribe each of my roommates to keep their mouth shut and the groundskeeper to not say that I’d left so this better be super impor-“

Ginny trailed off, because as she had been speaking, Harry got down on one knee in the muddy grass, his hand reaching into his pocket to grab the ring box he’d been fiddling with the entire trip. With his wand at his side, the rain came down on them again from through the trees.

“Harry-“ Ginny began, but he interrupted her.

“I can’t wait,” he started, and she brought a hand to her face.

“Ginny… will you marry me?” he asked, his voice cracking as he did. She stared at him and the ring for a moment before nodding, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Yes – oh my god, yes!” she exclaimed, and he quickly put the ring on her finger before standing up and wrapping his arms around her. They both sighed at the embrace, eight weeks of separation far too long to be apart.

“I love you, so much,” Harry whispered, pulling back to press their foreheads together. Somehow, through the rain and his own tears, he could see her smiling up at him brightly.

“I love you,” she replied, and he pulled her even closer as he kissed her deeply.

**(…)**

Ron startled as Harry rushed into the store, a wide smile on his face despite his body being soaking wet.

“Mate, forgotten a drying spell have you?” George called from the stairs, and Harry laughed, reaching for his wand and quickly pulling the water from his clothes and body. His hair sprung to life in a way that made Ron laugh.

“Where have you been?” Ron asked, slightly annoyed. Harry had been acting strange the past two days, and had all but disappeared today. “And where is it raining?”

“Nothing and nowhere, now what’s going on?” he asked, the smile still wide on his face, his whole body rejuvenated by the twelve minutes he got to spend with Ginny in the park.

“We’re putting out new products!” Lee called, and Harry clapped Ron on the shoulders.

“New product!” he echoed, moving away, leaving a very confused Ron to watch him go, confusion riddling his features.

**(…)**

“I’m – so – happy – you’re – finally – home,” Harry mumbled against Ginny’s lips in-between kisses. She giggled at him as he moved to kiss her cheeks, ducking her face at the tickling sensation of kisses on her neck.

“I am too, so happy,” she said, tucking her face against his neck and curling up on his lap. He held her tight, his cheek pressed against her soft hair. Every part of him that had been on edge the past three months was at complete peace with Ginny’s arms tightly around him.

“Don’t forget, dinner’s at your mum’s tonight,” Harry said quietly, and Ginny huffed slightly.

“You know, no one wrote to congratulate me on our engagement? I expected mum to accidentally apparate to Holyhead, but not a word,” Ginny said, her voice slightly bitter. Harry pursed his lips, moving back just enough for Ginny to see his face.

“Actually, I might not have told anyone,” he said, and she Ginny’s eyebrows came together.

“You didn’t?” she asked incredulously, and he nodded slowly.

“I got back from Wolverhampton just… didn’t,” he said, to which Ginny rolled her eyes.

“Well, then you get to tell them tonight,” she said, and he bit his bottom lip.

“Yes, dear,” he joked, and she rolled her eyes before pulling his head down to kiss him again.

**(…)**

“You’re here!” Hermione exclaimed as Harry and Ginny appeared outside the Burrow, twin smiles on their faces. Hermione ran over to them, throwing her arms around Ginny tightly, swaying from side to side.

“I’ve missed you,” Hermione said, and Ginny hugged her a little tighter.

“I’ve missed you too. We have to catch up after dinner,” she said, to which Hermione nodded.

“Tell me about the new muscles groups you find in Quidditch training camp,” Hermione deadpanned, to which Ginny laughed loudly. Harry frowned and Hermione waved him off.

“Let’s go inside, Harry has some news to tell everyone,” Ginny said, grabbing Harry’s hand again and pulling him inside. Hermione followed, eyebrows pulled together.

“Hey, you’re home!”

“Ginny’s here!”

“There’s the Quidditch star!”

The chorus of greetings was followed by several footsteps as everyone came over to greet Ginny, and she was engulfed in a sibling group hug as Molly walked into the sitting room, a wide smile on her face at her children in a massive huddle.

“Let her breathe!” Molly called, laughing as Ginny squeaked somewhere in the middle.

“You have more freckles, how did you manage that in Holyhead?”

“We have to arm wrestle after dinner.”

“We can talk about it all in a moment,” Ginny said, eyes searching the room until she found Harry, a smirk crossing her face.

“Harry has an announcement, apparently,” Hermione said, and Harry glared at her.

“Oh? What is it?” Molly asked as Arthur came in from the kitchen as well, an apron wrapped around his middle.

“Oh, well,” Harry said, trying to get Ginny to walk over to where he was. She walked over slowly, keeping her back to her family for a moment as she waved her wand over her left hand to reveal her ring.

“Um, Ginny and I….. are…. engaged,” Harry said slowly, turning his head slightly to watch Ginny hold up her left hand.

“To be married?” Molly broke the silence of the room first, her hand on her heart, a rather shocked look on her face.

“Yep,” Harry said, a smile spreading across his face. It lasted only a moment before Molly ran over to him, nearly tackling him in the biggest hug he’d received in years.

The room broke out into chaos, everyone talking at once and rushing over to pull Molly off Harry as she nearly cried into his shoulder. Ginny gently pulled at her mother’s arms, and Molly turned her attention to her daughter, giving her the same hug she’d gave Harry.

“I thinks she cracked my back,” Harry mumbled as Arthur walked over to him, wrapping an arm around Harry.

“She’s been waiting for this moment since she found you two making out on the couch the summer after the war,” Arthur said, to which Harry laughed loudly, any anxiety in his stomach dissipating as the entire Weasley family crowded around, everyone talking at once.

When Ginny finally escaped her mother’s arms, she slipped through her brothers to where Harry stood, wrapping her arms around his middle. She tapped the back of his head and he bent down so she could talk right into his ear.

“You’re off the hook for not telling them,” she said, and he smiled at her.

“Wait, how’d you propose?” Bill asked, capturing the attention of the room. Harry and Ginny shared a look.

“We should all sit down for this, it’s a bit of a story,” Harry said, watching as Ginny’s eyes sparkled happily.

“Really blew my mind,” Ginny said, smiling at the look of recognition in Harry’s eyes.

“Told you it would,” he said with a smile.

 


End file.
